Specific energy distributions for sinusoidal multi-cutters in groove-sawing process

Abstract

This paper proposes a new method for establishing the relations of specific energy of a material for sinusoidal multi-cutters in groove-sawing process. Effects of specific energy on sinusoidal multi-cutters with different cutter geometries, cutter locations, cutters arrangements, and cutter-by-cutter overlap ratios are studied. Experimental results prove that the specific energy is function of undeformed cutting areas in groove-sawing process. The groove sawing force in 3-axis is decomposed by cutting force in x-direction, side force in y-direction and vertical force in z-direction. The average specific energy of sinusoidal multi-cutters for workpiece Al 6061 in different wavelength (n=1–7) is 1580MPa, the average specific coefficient in y-direction is 0.44 and the average specific coefficient in z-direction is 0.20. The chip loading on each cutter is related to the average cutting depth, cutting width and cutter angle. The maximum chip loading of cutter order occurs in cutting overlap-area ratio between 0.22 and 0.23. The specific energy with multi undeformed cutting areas demonstrated the trend as the exponent decay. The specific energy varied with cutter location on sinusoidal wave, and the maximum variation of error occurred on cutter number n=3 per unit wave. The groove-sawing force model for sinusoidal-wave cutters can be established for the function of multi undeformed cutting areas by known specific energy, and it agreed well with the experimental results. Variations of error for sinusoidal multi-cutters are investigated for different cutter topologies. Through the geometry parameters design for multi-cutters to reduce specific energy on machining, the maximum material removal rate and longer tool life can be achieved.